Foreign soldiers who have served Britain face deportation after being denied passports because of minor disciplinary issues

Soldiers from the Commonwealth and overseas who have served in the British Army are being denied British passports because of ‘minor’ disciplinary issues.

Troops from Fiji, Jamaica and other nations are refused British citizenship facing borders chiefs for being ‘not of good character’.

Veterans groups say they have seen dozens of cases where a new law is being applied which leaves the individual facing deportation.

Facing deportation: Soldiers from the Commonwealth who have served in the British Army are being denied British passports because of being disciplined for 'failing to salute' or for not shining their boots

One case concerns a decorated soldier with a British wife and children who has been refused citizenship and banned from worker as a result of a fight with another soldier.

L/Cpl Bale Baleiwai from Fiji served for 13 years in the Army including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

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He was used in recruitment advertisements and was decorated for his service.

He was given a military punishment despite acting in self-defence and could be removed from Britain.

Hugh Milroy, chief executive of Veterans’ Aid said: ‘As a nation we should hang our heads in shame at what is happening to these people’.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘It is grossly unfair that despite their service to the country, soldiers are actually worse hit by this than anything else’.He said soldiers were being refused citizenship for ‘failing to salute’ or “not having their boots shined’.

Minor civil charges dealt with in the armed forces are dealt with as a civil crime by the UK Border Agency

L/Cpl Baleiwai told Channel 4 News: ‘It was an altercation with another soldier inside a military camp. I got charged £1000 for it and then on the rejection letter the UKBA have said that this military conviction that I had equates to civil law, yet there wasn’t any jury.

He added: ‘I’ve risked my life for Queen and country, done operational tours and all I wanted to do was come out of the Army and have a normal life. It’s quite devastating.’

Rules which came into force in April 2011 mean applications for settlement considered by UKBA may be rejected if someone has an ‘unspent’ conviction, which can include military convictions.

Under the new rules minor civil charges dealt with in the armed forces are dealt with as a civil crime.

Previously more discretion was used which usually meant members of the armed forces in the same situation were allowed to stay.

L/Cpl Baleiwai’s wife Kim said she was devastated when the application was refused. ‘I felt ashamed to be British’, she said.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: ‘Applications for settlement from former HM Forces personnel are considered in the same way as all other applications for settlement.

This involves consideration of a range of factors including unspent convictions, whether passed by military courts or resulting from police involvement.’

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Foreign soldiers who have served Britain face deportation after being denied passports because of minor disciplinary issues